Ruling apparatus



R. J. THOMPSON.

HULING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILI-:IJ MAR` 2, 1920.

1 ,370,565. Patented Mar. 8, 1921.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT J. THOMPSON, OF HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO W. O. HICKOK MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION F PENNSYLVANIA.

RULING APPARATUS.

Application tiled March 2,

10 @ZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, ROBERT J. THOMPSON, a. citizen of the United States, residing at Harrisburg, in the county of Dauphin and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ruling Apparatus, of which the following is a specification. A

The present invention relates more particularly to the conveyingmeans of ruling appara-tus. As is well known a considerable interval of time should elapse after the lines are ruled before the sheets are piled, to permit the ink to set or dry, and thus obviate smearing.

The object of the present invention is to provide a novel and simple mechanism whereby the sheets will be carried past the ruling mechanism, and then over a relatively long and tortuous path before the delivery means is reached, the sheets during their passage being effectively held by the conveying means.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein The ligure is a longitudinal sectional view somewhat diagrammatic` in its character through a ruling machine having an embodiment of the invention as a part thereof.

A supporting frame is employed, a portion of which is designated 3,' and on said supporting frame is mounted a bed plate or table 4, the upper face of which is convened in form. An endless work-carrying or conveyer belt has an upper stretch 6 that moves longitudinally over the table f1, and has a lower return stretch 7. The belt passes around a rear roller 8 of relatively large diameter and around a front driving drum or roller 9 actuated by any suitable source of power, not shown. A guide roller 10, located in advance of the table 4 and over the upper stretch 6, serves to hold the portion of the belt in advance ofsaid table in depressed relation so as to insure that the portion moving over the table is smooth and fiat thereon. Supporting rollers 11 are interposed between the roller 9 and the roller and serve to maintain the belt between the said rollers 9 and 10 in substantially converted relation. The lower stretch 7 of the belt is guided by suitable rollers 12 and 13. A tension roller 14 is located slightly Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 8, 1921.

1920. serialNo. 362,879.

below and in rear of the roller 9, the belt passing around said roller on the opposite side to the roller 9.

Operating over the upper stretch'6 of the belt 5 are suitable ruling instrumentalities, comprising pens 15 carried by beams 16. It 1s believed to be unnecessary to enter into detail regarding these instrumcntalities, as they may be of any well known or desired character, though preferably of the type disclosed in lco-pending application, Serial No. 325,368, filed September 22, 1919. A suitable gage or gate 17, located over the central of the rollers 11 determines the passage ofthe sheets to the ruling devices.

ln order to insure the proper movement of the paper with the stretch 6 of the belt 5, endless holding cords or bands 18 have lower stretches that rest upon the outer face of the upper stretch 6 of the belt. These cords or bands pass around a roller 19 located above the roller 9, thence beneath the roller 10 and around a rear roller 2O lo cated above the upper stretch of the belt 6 in advance of the rear roller 8. Suitably elevated guide rollers 21 and 22 support the return upper stretches of the bands or `cords and guides 23, adjustably mounted on a supporting rod 24, determine the positions of the cords or bands transversely of the belts.

The said endless conveyer belt 5 between the upper stretch 6 and lower stretch 7 is provided with an intermediate loop having an upper substantially horizontal stretch 26 and a lower return stretch 27. The rear or open portion of the loop is determined Vby an upper guide roller 28 and a lower roller 29 of smaller diameter than the upper roller. The front or closed portion of said loop passes around the front side of a guide rollerv 30 of relatively large diameter. Another guide roller 31 is preferably located between the rollers 28 and 30 upon the upper surface of the upper stretch 26 of the belt.

Interposed between the upper and lower stretches 26 and 27 of the loop are endless holding bands or cords 83, each having an upper stretch 34: extending longitudinally along and in coaction with the under face of the upper stretch 26 of the belt loop, and furthermore having a lower .stretch 35 located longitudinallyl upon and coacting with the upper face of the lower stretch 27 of the loop. Cords or bands 33 at their` rear ends pass around the roller 8 and against the outer face of the belt 5. They also pass `around a guide roller 36 located above and slightly in advance of the roller 8, thus providing a feeding throat in rear of the cords 18. The rear portions of the cords 33 are furthermore passed through guides 39 slidably mounted on a 'supporting rod 40, the guides 39 determining the position of ths cords transversely of the belt. The front portions of the cords or bands 33 pass around the roller 30, being interposed between said roller and the belt. Their rear portions are furthermore guided by a roller 4l located adjacent to the roller 29 and by a guide roller 42 located between the roller 4l and the guide roller 28.

lnasmuch as the loop 26--2'7 terminates short of the roller S, the space left is occupied bycoacting endless delivering bands 43. carried on pulleys 44C. The adjacent coacting faces of said bands 43 are substantially in line with the coacting stretches 27 tages and 3,5;y v

The operation may be briefly outlined as follows. Sheets of paper, successively introduced. between the rollers 9 and 19, are caught by the coacting stretches 6 and 18, and when the gage or gate 17 is raised, are passed into the niachineand beneath the ruling devices which mark the lines thereon. After passing the ruling apparatus they are released from the cordslS and are carried by the upper stretch of the belt to the drum 8. Here they are engaged'between the belt 5 and the cords 33. They are consequently carried around the drum 8 and arek held against the under face of the upper stretch 26 of the loop by the upper-stretches llaof the bands or cords 33. They are thus carried back to the front of the machine, and obviously are securely held so that they are not only maintained flat against `any curling tendency due to the damp ink, but cannot be displaced by air Reaching the front or closed end of the loop the papers are carried around the roller 30.. They are now moved again rearwardly upon the lower stretch 27 of the loop andare held thereon by the lower stretches 35 of the cords, being thus caused to again travel substantially the full length of the machine. At the rear end of the loop, both the belt and the cords leave the paper at an acute angle, thereby avoiding any tendency of the sheets to bend Vand pass on with either. They consequently bands 43 and are pass between vthe delivery piling or depositcarried thereby to suitable ing means.

F rom the foregoing, it is 'thought that the construction and operation and many advanof the herein described invention will currents or the vibration .and Jar of the machine..

be apparent to those skilled in the art, without further description, and it will be understood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion and minor details of construction, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. n apparatus of the character deibed, the combination with an endless worlrconveying belt having a feeding stretch and a return stretch and a looped conveying portion between said feeding and return stretches, ruling mechanism coacting 'ith the feeding stretch, and endless holding cords extending longitudinally within the loop and having stretches extending longitudinally along and respectively coacting 'with the opposite inner sides of the loop to hold the work againstboth of said sices.

2. ln apparatus of the character dcscribed, the combination with an endless worlconveying belt having a feeding stretch, a return stretch and a looped con- -veying portion between said feeding andreturn stretches, ruling mechanism coacting with the feeding stretch, a guide roller at the inner end of the loop and about which the belt passes, and endless holding cords ei:- vtending longitudinally within the loop and around the Vroller between said roller and the belt to hold the work against the belt while in the loep. f

8. Tn apparatus of the character described, the combination with anv endless work-conveying belt having an upper feeding stretch, a lower return stretch and an intermediate loop interposed between the said stretches, a rear guide roller between the upper feeding stretch andthe upper stretch of the loop and around which the belt passes, a front guide roller between the upper and lowerstretches of the loop and about which the belt passes, ruling mechanisin coact-ing withthe feeding stretch, endless holding cords located above the feeding stretch and having lower stretches operating thereupon, and other endless cords eXtend- Y ROBERT J. THOMPSON. Vlitnesses W. O. Hicnon, 2nd, Roer. A. HicKoK. 

